If the FAA ever decides to give an award for the most egregious violation of its hazardous materials policy, Novel Tees Wholesale will be tough to beat. The Salt Lake City-based company allegedly shipped 12 five-ounce plastic bottles of Ronsonol lighter fuel, 12 three-ounce cans of Stylist color hair spray, 12 Dragon Fire Micro Torches and nine novelty lighters -- in the same box.
The AOPA has developed a new Web-based tool to smooth the process of applying for medical certificates. TurboMedical takes applicants through each of the 20 question areas on the FAA Form 8500-8 (application for airman medical certificate) and explains why the FAA is asking each question and what it is looking for. Links to the AOPA medical database provide expanded information. TurboMedical gives advice on the best way to answer each question, checks the pilot's answers and flags anything that might cause problems.
Mercury Air Centers has teamed up with GE Capital Financial and Aviation Logistics (AvLog) to offer a business aviation MasterCard purchasing program called ``Mercury Easy Trip.'' ``The Easy Trip card is designed to replace the multiservice cards by providing you with one tool that can be used at more than 20 million locations,'' said John Enticknap, Mercury Air Centers' chief operating officer and vice president.
Owing to the nature of birds and wildlife, it may be virtually impossible to avoid strikes, but applying the following precautions can reduce the risk: When at low altitude, or approaching an area where bird encounters are likely, slow the aircraft as much as practical. Remember that the impact energy increases with the square of the velocity, so an impact at high speed is much more damaging than one at low speed.
On August 14, 1989, James Cassoutt was flying a Cessna 185 with his wife, Cindy, and Judy Kealey Diaz. According to the NTSB, he made a normal approach to Runway 36 at Myrtle Grove, Fla. He fully extended the flaps and applied full nose-up trim per the owner's handbook. The wind was from the east at three to eight knots. Thick scrub trees bordered the east side of the runway. A three-point landing was planned and touchdown occurred on the tail and right main wheel. The right wing came up as the left wheel touched and Cassoutt initiated a balked landing.
CompletionAir, which specializes in large corporate aircraft completions, and Premier Air Center, a Cessna Citation Jet Service Center and maintenance facility for light and midsize corporate jets and GA aircraft, have agreed to merge. With 194,000 square feet of combined hangar space at St. Louis Regional Airport (ALN), the company will service aircraft ranging from single-engine pistons through narrow body and wide body airliners with executive interiors.
Texaco will sell a portion of its general aviation business to Avfuel. The sale was required by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission as a requirement of the oil giant's proposed merger with Chevron. ``The majority of the facilities are located in the Northwest and Southeast,'' according to Avfuel spokesperson Marci Ammerman, adding ``since we did not have facilities in those areas, the acquisition allows us to increase our presence.''
The leaders of GAMA, the National Air Transportation Association and the NBAA began the fall in a bit of a funk, searching for some sort of silver lining in the dark legal clouds that rolled over the aviation community in late summer.
After graduating from Embry-Riddle in 1969, Dolphin began working the line at his home airport in Pittsfield, Mass. Soon he was flying freight in a Cherokee and not long thereafter, copiloting Twin Otters to La Guardia Airport five times a day. After a long stint managing aircraft for Richmor Aviation, the 12,000-hour pilot accepted an offer by then Houston Astros owner John McMullen to take over the AeroServices FBO at White Plains.
Gary/Chicago Airport (GYY) has been named by the Boeing Corp. as its new corporate facility. The 30,000-square-foot hangar bay is designed to accommodate up to two Boeing 727 size aircraft, and comes with over 37,200 square feet of office/shop space. Boeing said it selected the GYY facility because ``it is an immediate and viable solution to air traffic congestion that challenges the Chicago area.''
Shuttle America, operating under bankruptcy court protection since last April, hopes to add aircraft and destinations under the terms of a reorganization plan filed in mid-September. The agreement calls for Wexford Capital, LLC to acquire all of the carrier's stock and finance Shuttle America's future expansion plans.
At London Heathrow Airport, Metro Business Aviation and Swissport UK have teamed up to serve corporate aircraft. The new operation, Metro-Swissport Executive Aviation, will combine new ramp equipment from Swissport and Metro's existing facilities to support aircraft up to and including B747s. Stan Anderson of Swissport will head up the 20-person service staff. Swissport is a Swissair company operating more than 130 stations in 25 countries, with 20 of those stations providing business aviation services.
EADS will donate $2 million to U.S. terrorist attack victims. The European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. has dedicated the money ``to people in need in New York and Washington as well as to the bereaved of the passengers in the aircraft which crashed.'' EADS CEOs Philippe Camus and Ranier Hertrich said, ``In this time of unprecedented sorrow and challenge to values we share and cherish we want to show our solidarity with all those who have suffered and are still suffering owing to this cruel and ruthless attack.''
The decisions about the degree of dietary modification and whether or not to use a drug for correction of abnormal blood fat levels must be made by your physician. Always seek the advice of your flight surgeon before taking any new medication. After treatment begins, your physician will monitor your blood fat levels with periodic blood tests to judge effectiveness of the treatment and to determine whether additional measures are needed (such as increasing the dose or changing the medication).
Bell Helicopter has become the latest aircraft manufacturer to reduce its workforce. The company in early September laid off approximately 175 assembly workers and left open the possibility of future job cuts -- including additional production workers and white-collar workers. All of the affected employees work in the Textron division's Fort Worth-area facilities.
ALPA reportedly advised its members to stay out of uniform in public and away from airports in general during ground stops to avoid the off chance they might attract the attention of potential hijackers. Business aviation crews might want to think about their clothes and refrain from wearing badges or passes except on the flight line or within the secure premises in which they are required. And you may want to rethink that crew tag on your luggage.
Technological innovations that change the course of an industry are few and far between. For business aviation, Garrett's TFE731 turbofan engine, the first general aviation jet to use a geared fan and electronic fuel controls, was such a product. Much more fuel-efficient than the turbojets that powered first-generation corporate jets, the TFE731 quickly won the hearts of airframe manufacturers who were looking for a way to push the corporate flying envelope during the 1970s.
3M has introduced a new colored adhesive film that provides a high performance, low surface energy coating and serves as an alternative aircraft covering to standard paint. The ``Paintless Technology'' is a fluro-polymer film with a wide range of self-stick and curing adhesive options. The film comes in standard colors of white, gray and black; custom color matching is available. In addition, the film is resistant to a number of man-made and natural elements including acids, bases, hydrocarbons, jet fuels, hydraulic fluids and cleaning solvents.
Bombardier unveiled PrecisionPlus, an upgrade for the Pro Line 4 avionics suite on the Challenger 604. Developed by Rockwell Collins, the enhanced system's features include automation of both V-speed calculation and thrust setting as primary information, and three-dimensional display of the aircraft's flight plan.
Mercury Air Centers has opened a new hangar and tenant facility at its Hanscom Field Airport (BED) FBO in Bedford, Mass. The 38,000-square-foot facility with its 28-foot high bay doors can accommodate a Global Express-size aircraft and has compressed air and heated flooring. In addition to the maintenance spaces, the facility will be equipped with a full galley for food preparation, as well as a dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer and an ice machine.
Atlantic Southeast Airlines has agreed to pay a $5,000 civil penalty in a federal lawsuit that could have wider-ranging implications for the carriage of disabled passengers. The case emerged from an incident in September 2000, during which an ASA employee in Dothan, Ala., refused to board a paraplegic passenger who was traveling alone.
August 21: The right main landing gear of a Beech 99 collapsed on landing in Monterrey, Calif., causing substantial damage. The Redding Aero Enterprises aircraft was operating an on-demand cargo flight at the time of the mishap. The two pilots were uninjured.
CMC Electronics said it had successfully completed a series of developmental flight trials of its Infrared Enhanced Vision System. The Canadian company said the tests proved the effectiveness of the system in seeing the runway, approach and runway lights, runway surface markings and ground vehicles in a variety of weather conditions. The system sensor is scheduled to begin its certification process in fourth quarter 2002.
Rockwell Collins and Universal Weather have entered into an agreement to provide data and operational management services through e-flight, a new Collins system. Designed to improve situational awareness, e-flight will be integrated through the Pro Line 21, Pro Line 21 Continuum and Pro Line 21 CNS avionics systems. The new system provides flight crews with map overlays, Controller Pilot Data Link Communications and graphical weather displays. For passengers, it delivers high-speed e-mail and Internet access.
